Author Interview and Giveaway: Chastity by R Rodriguez

In this post, you will find an interview with R Rodriguez and a giveaway for her second novel in the Eternal Beloved series.

Note:  You do not need to have read the first book in her series to enjoy the second; they are from different character's points of views and the stories do not build off of each other.

Interview with R Rodriguez

Q:  The story starts with Chastity's mother's funeral. If you had to pick some famous (or not famous) last words to be remembered by, what would you say?

A:  “I lived intensely and loved immensely.”
As long as I was loved in the world and I loved back, that’s all that matters to me.

Q:  As Chastity grew up, we found out that she was more of a tomboy than a girly-girl. She didn't play with dolls; instead, she climbed trees and played a lot outside. What was one of your favorite pastimes as a kid?

A:  I was just as restless. I liked to play outside a lot and do a lot of exploring. Roller skating year round, even in the freezing cold, was one of my favorite childhood activities. I did play with Barbie dolls too, though. I liked their fashion and furniture. I especially liked that they had a boyfriend. I’d spend hours setting up their home and making up stories for them. Then I’d record the dialogue between my dolls on a cassette recorder I had.

Q:  Chastity drives a cherry red Jetta which I'd think would be awesome to drive while in high school.  Do you have a dream car that you'd like to be seen driving in?

A:  If I was in high school, I would love to have a Jetta. That’s why I gave Chastity this fabulous car! Mini Coopers are also cute high school cars. As an adult, I would love to drive around in a black Mercedes Sedan. It’s such an elegant car.

Q:  If you had to pick an actor or a well-known star to represent Jared, who would you pick?

A:  Jared was actually Jared Leto circa his Jordan Catalano days in my head the whole time. Here’s the exact picture of how I saw him in my head.

Q:  Chastity takes a Spanish class in high school. Do you speak any other languages besides English?

A:  I am Puerto Rican, so I speak Spanish. I also speak some Italian. I need to practice so I can become more fluent, but I do read it well and understand it.

Q:  Chastity encounters various characters throughout the novel including Amelia, Mayor Stevenson, Gavin, Susie, Kyle, Sloan, Jared, and Christopher. If you could only use five words, how would you describe each character?

A:  Amelia - A mentally ill witch
      Mayor Stevenson - A mean politician without morals
      Gavin - A conceited jerk
      Susie - The spoiled evil half sister
      Kyle - A poor insecure outcast
      Sloan - A lost soul
      Jared - The surprise under the cover
      Christopher - Another politician without morals

Q:  What is your favorite movie and why?

A:  This is a hard one because I love many movies. My dad once owned a movie theater so I’ve been in love with movies since I was a little girl. I think my all- time favorite movie would have to be Titanic. It was such a moving and vivid take on the tragedy that it made me almost hyperventilate when I witnessed it on screen. Rose’s and Jack’s love story was also amazing. I also thought Avatar was extremely meaningful. I sense a theme here… They both had the same director. I especially enjoy movies made from books. I like to read the books first, of course, so I can compare the director’s vision with my own imagination.

Q:  Chastity obtains a degree in Music Theory. What was your degree in?

A:  I have a Master’s Degree in Education in the Teaching of English as a Second Language. I’m also a full time English teacher and tutor for the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

Q:  Jared has a pet bulldog named Tonka. I have a dog named Gizmo. Do you have any pets? What are their names?

A:  I do. I love dogs!!! I have a mixed breed named Cody.

Q:  Chastity's favorite song isThis is War by Thirty Seconds to Mars. What's your favorite song?

A:  My favorite song is Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. I love Thirty Seconds to Mars’ music so I thought about it a lot during the writing of this novel. I had also just gone to their concert here in Puerto Rico when I was in the middle of writing it. I enjoy music very much. It inspires me during the writing of my novels. You can view a video playlist of the songs that inspired Chastity on you tube.

(manda-rae:  I love Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve.  And the last song in the play list is one of my favorites:  Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado.)

Chastity Playlist

E-Book Giveaway

Congratulations goes to Heather at The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl!

Ms Rodriguez is giving away an e-book of Chastity to one of my lucky readers.  Click here to learn more and read my review.  Now onto the details:

• This giveaway is open internationally.
• Giveaway ends on Saturday, September 15.
• You can enter via the Rafflecopter form below.  You can enter by doing one of the following:
• Free entry.  Just click enter to enter.
• Like R Rodriguez' Facebook page.  Click like and then enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chastity by R Rodriguez

Genre:  Adult Contemporary Romance with a Paranormal Spritz

Eternal Beloved Series, Book 2

R Rodriguez' website

Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Chastity Ann Chadwick is a self proclaimed teenage femme fatale who lives in the small sailing town of Seaport Harbor. She’s a boy eater who uses pleasure to numb the pain of her unfortunate circumstances. Little does she know, she’s on a certain path to self destruction when one of her romantic escapades gets out of hand. Life as she knows it will never be the same. Her only solace comes from an unanticipated liaison with the new mysterious guy in school. Her hopes are shattered when she realizes her newfound life is not what it seems. She will only find redemption by searching for her own truth.

First off, this series is a series that you can read in any order.  You do not have to read the first one before the second.  And personally, I enjoyed the second more than the first.  These books are filled with beautiful romance and bittersweet passions, and I came close to crying with this second one.

I can't really describe my favorite parts of this book without ruining it for you.  So let me start off with the setting and the people.  Chastity is in Seaport Harbor (a touristy town) with influential neighbors and a broken family.  While in high school, she's captain of the cheerleading squad and the queen bee, but she hasn't quite learned how to put an effort into making lasting friendships.  She's dating Gavin, the football quarterback while secretly longing for Sloan, Susie's boyfriend.  Did I mention that Susie is her worst enemy?  And then the mysterious new guy, Jared, shows up one day.  And we all want to know more about him, like how he fits into all of this.  Add a few dark family secrets, hurt, betrayal, and other angry emotions, and we got an interesting ride ahead of us.

In the beginning, this book is full of feeling like a contemporary romance.  We're going to live through Chastity's life.  Her mistakes are going to come out, and we're going to feel for her.  I didn't like Chastity initially because she was everything I wasn't in high school.  But boy did she grow on me!  And you really get to feel her human emotions throughout the book.  And there is a blossoming romance that is super beautiful.  But circumstances keep preventing this romance.

And then there's a moment in the book where everything you knew just burned up in flames.  We get a new twist, a new truth.  And it made me like the book even more.

I believe fans of contemporary reads would most likely enjoy this one.  If you like reading about drama, I definitely recommend this.  And I'd say pick this one up before the first in the series (because I liked this one more).

Thanks goes to R Rodriguez for providing me with a review copy.

Author Interview and Giveaway: Grace by R Rodriguez

In this post, you will find an interview with R Rodriguez and a giveaway for her debut novel.

Interview with R Rodriguez

Q:  In your book, death (or the grim reaper) is represented by a panther. What made you choose this animal over others?

A:  The answer to that might be a bit scary. Actually, when I was a teenager, I once fainted and had a seizure. None of which was explained by the medical studies that were done on me subsequently. I actually thought I saw a panther circling me when I stared off into nothingness, helpless, before my mom found me. I like to believe it was my brain playing tricks on me.

Q:  This book covers two heavy topics: depression and abusive relationships. Do you have advice for women who may be in either of these situations?

A:  Absolutely. Get help for depression. I don’t believe that’s something you can get out of on your own easily. You must be an active participant in the process, though. You must believe that you want to get better. For those in abusive relationships, get out and get help. Love yourself first and then you can be in a healthy relationship. If you’re very young, don’t second guess yourself. If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t right. Real love doesn’t feel like torture. Tell someone you trust. Face what you’re dealing with, don’t rationalize bad behavior. When someone shows you how they are by their actions, that’s really how they are. People don’t change unless they really want to and you can tell by their actions.

Q:  It seems to me that Lucian and Dario are complete opposites. If you had to pick an actor or a well-known star to represent each guy, who would you pick?

A:  This is an easy question because I always have a muse for every male character, although they’re a bit older now. For this book, Lucian was always William Levy in my mind [pictured to the left]. I knew him from Latino Telenovelas before he went on Dancing with the Stars. Dario was always Jonathan Rhys Meyers from The Tudors [pictured to the right]. I am a big fan of that show and he was such a good tyrant, that’s who I envisioned as Dario.

Q:  Which character do you most relate to?

A:  As a woman, I can obviously relate to Grace. It was important to me to create a character other young women in trouble could identify with. I believe every writer brings something of their life experience into their books and characters. A lot of people have asked me if there’s any relation between me and the protagonist. Although, I did feel an affinity with certain characters’ feelings through their relative situations, I have to say that each character was very thought out in relation to the central themes in the book. They were not necessarily a reflection of me directly.

Q:  When Grace was playing Vivaldi, which song was she playing?

A:  The song was from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons 3rd Movement “Summer” Presto. That was also her audition song. I believe it enraptures Grace’s tumultuous life.

Q:  What is your favorite book and why?

A:  This is a hard question to answer because I love so many books. I don’t believe I have one ultimate favorite book. I’ve loved many books throughout my life like: Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. My first introduction into the paranormal was The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende. I read that book in one night. As an adult, I’m obviously a fan of the Twilight Books and recently Fifty Shades of Grey, but the one book that has touched my life completely is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho because it talks to a person’s soul. It encourages you to follow your dreams and live your ideal life through a beautiful story about a shepherd. All of Paulo Coelho’s books speak to our existential dilemmas.

Q:  If you could only use five words to describe the characters Grace encounters throughout the novel, which words would you use?

A:  Lucian: The perfect man
      Dario: An abusive man child
      Stan: A cool temporary college boyfriend
      Laura: An unconditional friend
      Jane: Stuck up and lacking personality
      The Granadases: Old treasures to cherish
      Thomas Coventry [Grace's father]: A loving father
      Grace’s Mom: A distant controlling mother

Q:  Who has been your biggest inspiration?

A:  I haven’t been inspired by one person in particular. I am very curious by nature so life, itself, inspires me. I find places full of life, like big cities, inspiring. I find inspiration in nature. Also the selflessness of any person who helps others and promotes love and peace, inspires me. Every time I see it, I wish to one day be able to be like that.

Q:  Favorite Quote?

A:  “Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and all will be well." Mahatma Gandhi

Q:  What is one book that everyone should read?

A:  The one everyone else is reading. There must be something there! In all seriousness, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

E-book Giveaway


Congratulations goes to Beth!!!

Ms Rodriguez is giving away an e-book of Grace to one of my lucky readers.  Click here to learn more and read my review.  Now onto the details:

• This giveaway is open internationally.
• Giveaway ends on Saturday, June 2.
• You can enter via the Rafflecopter form below.  You can enter by doing one of the following:
• Free entry.  Just click enter to enter.
• Like R Rodriguez' Facebook page.  Click like and then enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grace by R Rodriguez

Genre:  Adult Contemporary Romance with a Paranormal Spritz

Eternal Beloved Series, Book 1

R Rodriguez' website

Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Grace Elizabeth Coventry has wanted to die since puberty. Since then, she carries out elaborate plans to end her life. She almost succeeds on her eighteenth birthday, but when an outside force emerges to carry out the deed, an inexplicable survival instinct awakens in her. It’s too late, though. Death has already noticed her. As she hangs on for dear life from the ledge of the Skyway Bridge in Chicago, about to give up to her fate, an unexpected stranger appears to save her, only to be challenged by the ultimate threat. In the end, only she has the power to save herself.

Let me start with this totally wasn't what I was expecting.  The first part of the book is a little slow, and I kept wondering is this a contemporary piece or a paranormal piece?  And then everything clicked into place within the last thirty pages.  What's so different about this book compared to my other recent reads is this one spans about ten years of Grace' life.  And that could be why I thought the beginning was a little slow.

While reading the book, I thought the description was a terrible description (until that eye-opening moment at the end).  This book has a lot of contemporary emotions in it.  Grace tries to die.  She meets boy.  She goes to school to try to better life.  She takes a wrong turn and ends up in an abusive relationship.  That gives you an idea of what you're going to see in this book without giving anything away.  Also note that I kept the plot line blunt and without names, so you're still left guessing when you read it.

But let me tell you, the last part of the book completely made it for me.  There's a moment where everything clicks into place and suddenly various parts of the book make sense and have a new meaning.  I sort of guessed what was going on, but by the end, I wasn't sure there'd be some paranormal addition.  That's why I only added a spritz of it when I listed the genre.

Who would I recommend this to?  That's a difficult question...  I'm not going to say hard-core vampire/werewolf lovers are going to love this book.  I believe those who like romance and contemporary would find this one right up their alley.  I definitely advise anyone who reads it to wait until the end before forming your opinions of the book (I know mine completely changed).

Thanks goes to R Rodriguez for providing me a review copy.